I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 138

The Emperor’s office was surprisingly ordinary.

Of course, this was ordinary in the context of an “Emperor’s” office.

“Take it.”

“…So you do drink instant coffee.”

“Just because I’m an Emperor doesn’t mean I drink only civet coffee every day.”

“There are traces of construction on the floor, too.”

“You do know that my daughter’s personal room is right below, right? I had no choice but to break the floor and jump in because some fortuneteller was causing a scene.”

Sipping instant coffee from an elegant porcelain cup, even though the chair was made of high-quality leather, the table was simply an ordinary wooden one.

It wasn’t that it was arranged that way on purpose; it was more of a display of indifference towards luxury.

But that didn’t mean the Emperor was frugal.

“After all, is it that he doesn’t obsess over high-end products because he can have whatever he wants?”

The higher the power, the wealthier one becomes, the more one tends to cling to luxury. But the Emperor was at the pinnacle of the wealthy class.

For him, it was all the same whether it was something expensive or cheap; it was just a matter of what caught his eye.

What kind of events had taken place for him to reach such a position?

As I briefly glanced at the portrait of the Empress hanging beautifully on the wall, I opened my mouth.

“I heard you could see the future.”

“…Is that what we’re starting with?”

“Is it true?”

Within the royal palace, it was merely regarded as a ‘rumor.’

Yet, for the absurd rumor to circulate so widely, the Emperor must have demonstrated insight into the future, and everyone in the palace firmly believed in him.

“That confidence of the Oppressor probably comes from that.”

If he truly could see the future or possessed that level of insight, there would be no reason to lose to a young Crown Prince.

However, at least in this matter, the Emperor hadn’t shown any such capability.

That meant he didn’t have the kind of insight to foresee the future.

At the same time, it indicated that even if he were able to see the future, he couldn’t do so at will.

“You’ve already concluded this in your mind, haven’t you?”

“……………”

“To ask while knowing, how distasteful.”

“Please answer.”

“…..Ha. Hearing that makes my defeat sting terribly. As the Emperor of the Daehan Empire, I never expected to hear such words from a mere fortuneteller.”

“It can’t be helped that you’ve been toyed with by a mere fortuneteller.”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not belittling or dismissing you. It’s just… I became afraid.”

“……………?”

“Well, I suppose I have to answer. Yes, I can see the future.”

“…..I see.”

“To be more precise, it’s more accurate to say, I hear it.”

Hearing the future.

That statement meant…

“Do you know? The presence whispering in my ear, clad in cracks all over.”

“………!!”

“From your reaction, it seems you do know. Don’t feel obligated to answer. Didn’t I tell you yesterday?”

──Even if we want to talk about what we know, the timing isn’t right yet. If we hastily bring it up now, it wouldn’t be surprising if our heads exploded.

“Thus, cough.”

The now fine-looking Emperor suddenly coughed up blood.

With a harsh cough, the Emperor, who spat out the red blood, wiped the blood from his mouth with an expression of familiarity.

“That…!”

“Don’t think too much about it. This is just a cheap price to pay.”

“A price…?”

“In exchange for hearing the future, don’t mention that existence. Isn’t it quite a profitable deal?”

Cough.

The Emperor glared at me after spitting out blood once more.

It was a clear indication that we could no longer converse physically.

“That’s unfortunate. If only I had found that diary…”

“Diary, you say?”

“I can’t say much in detail. It could really make your head explode.”

“…Is this what you’re referring to?”

“………Hmm?”

[<The Diary of the Ignorant>

This is a trace of arrogance.
A trace of her trying to control you. A trace of the hypocrisy she showed under the guise of doing it for you.
Treasure it dearly. Even if it may not be of use.]

*One instance of mental interference from ???? is repelled. After use, it disappears.]

During the summer break, the day Jisoo had interfered with my mind.

The diary that captured the process of my degradation after resolving the incident that nearly made me a fool.

I knew who gave me that diary and who wrote that description.

‘The being referred to by the Emperor with cracks.’

That must be it.

As soon as I took that thin notebook from my pocket, the diary began to shine.

Swooosh!

[<The Diary of the Ignorant> is being used.]
[Repelling mental interference from ????!]

“This is………!!”

As the diary opened widely and emitted a strong light, it enveloped both me and the Emperor like a dome.

A small dome that seemed to protect us.

With trembling eyes, the Emperor seemed to have made a resolve.

“……The one who advised me to find the diary was…”

Boom!

The dome trembled.

Though there were no changes in the office, it seemed as if something invisible was being repelled by the dome.

And then, finally…

“A woman introduced herself as ‘Namgoong Jisoo’, appearing from a door in the void.”

Crash!!

It shattered as if it could no longer withstand it.

Was mentioning the name the most considerable constraint?

The moment the Emperor uttered ‘Namgoong Jisoo’, the dome shattered, but unlike the Emperor’s hardened expression, nothing happened to the two of us.

[Repelled mental interference! <The Diary of the Ignorant> disappears!]

All that happened was that the diary that had formed the dome burned away into nothingness.

“What do you mean by door?”

“Do you have any idea how shocked I was? I was in my office, when suddenly a door appeared in the void and opened, and there she came out. It was beyond ridiculous.”

“………….”

“More importantly, where did that diary come from?”

“I received it due to some task. It was the diary I wrote.”

“Heh, my decision to rummage through the slums was mistaken from the start… I never imagined you already had it.”

“…That name is.”

“The dome has already shattered, and the diary has burned. If it were you, I might mention the name, but I can no longer do so. If she mentions it herself, I’m afraid my head will explode.”

“………….”

“She mentioned you were precious to her. Quite interesting, wasn’t it? Even though the same name – Namgoong Min – was kidnapped in front of me.”

“…How much do you know?”

“I know nothing. Just that you’re referred to as the Usurper, at most?”

“Usurper……….”

“That existence mentioned it, cough cough!”

The Usurper.

It seems that the being I spoke of during the break was also referred to as Jisoo.

What exactly did Jisoo usurp?

“………Huh.”

For now, if I were to make a guess.

<The Diary of the Ignorant> repelled my younger sister’s interference.

The Emperor nearly exploded when he mentioned Namgoong Jisoo just now, but the diary managed to block it.

So, the ‘????’ mentioned in the description would be Namgoong Jisoo.

‘An existence made of cracks, and Jisoo.’

What kind of relationship could that incomprehensible being have with my damn younger sister?

It was contradictory that the being gave me the diary, and it was suspicious that they knew each other, in a way that seemed like neither a cooperative relationship nor an antagonistic one.

Above all, what on earth had Jisoo experienced to know such a being and how was she interfering with my mind?

There was something I did find out, though.

‘Like the times when Mandrick met, the Emperor met, and I met.’

For now, Namgoong Jisoo was in this world.

And by appearing from the door in the void,

‘I’m certain that Jisoo is in the developer’s room.’

I could confidently locate my sister.

Finding her was another issue, but the importance lay in the fact that what was once a simple guess had turned into certainty.

Of course, this didn’t mean that all conversations had ended.

“I still have more to hear.”

“Are you asking if I kidnapped you? Ah, to be precise, I mean I kidnapped another you.”

“…That’s right.”

“It’s nothing much. It was that being’s advice… cough, to kidnap the fortuneteller named Namgoong Min in the slums.”

“My blood….”

“Don’t mind this. Frankly, I didn’t know what was going on after I kidnapped him, but how surprised was I to hear there was another Namgoong Min at the Romance Academy?”

“…………….”

“I immediately interrogated the other Namgoong Min, but he didn’t say a word. Then, once, he whispered to me about the being that whispers the future in my ear, cough.”

“Another me, you say?”

“Only then did I realize the reason why I was told to kidnap him. It was clear that he wasn’t an ordinary fortuneteller. But he still wouldn’t open his mouth.”

The other me I met in the lucid dream was quite the chatterbox.

But did he keep silent in front of the Emperor?

…If the other me remained silent through continued interrogations,

“So you made me your target instead?”

“…Yes. That being, cough, whispered that on the first day of Chuseok, a fortuneteller named Namgoong Min would come. That’s why I tried to eliminate you.”

“Did you even consider capturing me?”

“That was also the advice of the other you.”

“……What?”

“The other you said that if you were killed, you would tell me everything.”

What?

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? She held you in high regard.”

“……….”

“However, the one she cherished was the Namgoong Min in front of me, not the one I kidnapped.”

…That means.

Does Jisoo know about the other me?

In the first place, what exactly is this other me?

My head felt confused but… for now.

“You’re concealing something.”

“…You’re very perceptive. Is this the skill of a fortuneteller?”

“It seems you know quite a bit about the other me.”

“………….”

“What are you hiding? What the hell is the other me──”

“──The only thing I can tell you, fortuneteller.”

As I locked eyes with the Emperor, who was showing a firm response, I inadvertently ceased speaking.

What I saw in his eyes expressed only one emotion.

‘Desire.’

Because he desperately wanted something, he remained silent even in the position of a loser.

…What on earth did he want?

“Be careful of the other you.”

“………….”

“I won’t say anything more, even if my head explodes.”

Since it was clearly a warning, and I could feel that it was the Emperor’s true feeling, I did not press further but silently watched him.

As if satisfied with that answer, the Emperor raised the corners of his mouth.

“Of course, I wouldn’t conclude our conversation here.”

“…Are you being obstinate towards someone who clearly knows this?”

“There are things that come and go.”

Since you are indulging my insistence,

“I’m also prepared to hear your insistence as much as you want.”

“………It will likely be quite costly. That includes the value of my life.”

“I’ll bear it all, so.”

In a sign of surrender indicating that he didn’t want any more questions,

I quietly nodded my head.

*

“It was a gamble.”

<A successful gamble.>

“Considering all that, the Imperial treasures, the position to hand over to my son, the factions, the money… It was all thoroughly stripped clean.”

<And you insisted, didn’t you? You got what you wanted, after all.>

“……Ever since that fortuneteller came last night, he hasn’t appeared despite being called repeatedly.”

<Are you blaming that for not being able to see the future? Oh, how tragic! It must be so unfair!>

“………….”

<If those who cannot see the future collide, the wiser one will simply win.>

“Are you saying I was stupid?”

<It would be more accurate to say the fortuneteller was wiser.>

“…The Usurper.”

<He’s furious. He wants to explode your head right away.>

“………….”

<Don’t worry too much. I’ll protect you.>

“I’ll say this while I’m doing you a favor.”

<Oh, this is why I dislike perceptive Emperors!>

“Remember, one day I will slice your neck!”

<How would it even matter if I’m already falling apart? If you hate me that much, you should’ve cooperated with that fortuneteller!>

“……You shameless creature.”

<Ha! Well, since you’ve done me a favor, I suppose I should repay you. Here, the item you wanted.>

“With this……….”

<Only one goal remains. If I get that, are you planning to slice my neck then? >

“Now, get lost.”

<You’re cold, but I like it. I will come again to whisper the future next time.>

Displeased.

Just like before, that being vanished without any sign.

Only after the playful yet serious voice in my ear had disappeared did the Emperor begin to fidget with the promised item.

“Ha-neul….”

The fortuneteller feels guilty. For not revealing all the truths and intertwining lies for what he desired, while also letting the other him loose on purpose.

But the Emperor also had something he desperately wanted.

And for that reason, he could endure anything.

And even for that,

“……Kim Ha-neul.”

The Emperor’s gaze shifted to a photo of someone on the table.

The child of a concubine, a member of the royal family that even the royal household members barely knew about.

A royal whose name was the same as the wife he cherished more than anyone.

“The time is drawing near….”

Underneath the meticulously hung portrait of his wife, the Emperor sighed while caressing the remaining white skull fragment.

After briefly closing his eyes, he picked up the receiver.

Beep.

“It’s me. It’s time to fulfill the promise, Principal.”

“────”

“I have handled everything you demanded. You won’t have any complaints, right?”

“───”

“What I want is exactly as I said at the start.”

“────”

“……Expel Kim Ha-neul.”

“The Usurper has focused his gaze on me.”

“The Mediator should also have arrived at the Academy.”

“Now, it’s your turn to move.”